“Welcome aboard a fantastical journey to colourful worlds inspired by your favourite Hershey candies. It’s our BRAND-NEW cinematic train-themed adventure for the whole family that puts the train’s path in the audience’s hands. Engineer Ginny is waiting to lead explorers like you to KISSES Valley, JOLLY RANCHER Junction, REESE’S Ridge and more.”
In April this year, Hershey introduced a spectacular 30-minute interactive adventure for its 50th anniversary, the first-ever to incorporate all five senses. MassiveMusic provided one of those senses for the project that was vastly ambitious, both creatively and technologically. Adrian Sergovich, creative director & senior composer at MassiveMusic Sydney took The Stable inside.
The Stable: Please tell me about Hershey’s Great Candy Expedition.
Adrian Sergovich: We were thrilled when the brief for Hershey’s Great Candy Expedition came to us. What an opportunity for music and sound. The interactive film was part of the Hershey’s Chocolate World 50th Anniversary and Hershey was building a bespoke wrap-around, 270 degree screen and cinema to house it. Our challenge wasn’t only technical, it was a huge creative one too – in that we had to be respectful of the heritage of the much-loved brand and products, as well as invent new worlds sonically.
The journey begins in a series of waiting rooms or ‘train platforms’ as a kind of pre-show for those lining up for the main event. We had to evoke the golden age of travel with specific sound design created to be authentic to the art deco spaces. Far off rattling steam trains and whistles, announcers and the sound of bustling activity would immerse the audience and help build their anticipation. A sparse and mystical score accompanies the intricate atmospheric sounds and allows guests to enjoy a sense of wonder.
Once ‘aboard the train’ (ie in the theatre), the passengers are greeted with a large screen depicting a wide train tunnel opening which frames the lush scenery of Hershey’s Chocolate World in the distance. They are then taken on a guided tour through six different lands inspired by Hershey’s most well-known products – Kit Kat Timbers, Kisses Valley, Jolly Rancher Junction, Twizzlers Forest, Reese’s Ridge, and Almond Joy / Mounds Cove – before a finale, returning them back to the original station. The host, Ginny, meets the colourful Candy Creators in each land and the audience can participate through selection buttons in their mechanised seats, which vibrate with the bass rumble of the train, impactful sounds and music.
TS: What was your role/scope of work? What were your aims?
AS: Our role was to support the cinematic journey of this fantastical film through six unique lands with music that emotionally connects to the audience and sound design that was engaging and fun. And our aim, as always, was to blow people away! I think we achieved that – according to the tears of joy reported by Spinifex agency who hired us, and the continued queues of people who want to see the attraction months after its opening.
TS: What were the challenges involved? Were there any things that helped to make the project a success?
AS: The challenges were multi-fold. We had pictures that were being developed and delivered to us in layers due to the complexity of the animation and designs, with foreground character movement created separately to the background environment plates. That meant our sync goals would keep shifting right up until the final mix. There were also time restraints as we had a scheduled technical run through as the brand-new cinema incorporated interactive seats with buttons requiring subsonic sound to trigger their vibration. So, we had a bit of a squeezed timeline to get the creative things in place before we could (learn how to) execute the technical requirements of this first-of-its-kind cinema in North America. So yeah, the pressure was on.
The composition process did appear daunting at first. We’d signed off on six distinct directions of music – traversing genres and styles – for each of the candy-lands. However, we also wanted the flow of the journey to feel unifying – no matter which order the lands appeared in the film. That particular curve ball was due to the interactivity of the audience, who could choose which land to visit next by selecting a button built into their seats. So, the film journey would chop and change from screening to screening. But the end would always be the same…
Workshopping the workflow with my EP, Katrina Aquila, we unlocked a possible key to the whole musical work – we would work backwards. Tasked with composing a closing song which would end the entire show on a high note, we thought if we could nail that, we would have an anthemic chorus that could be used as the unifying theme for the entire Hershey’s Great Candy Expedition experience.
We began with lyrics, then once approved we moved to composing an anthem that would appeal to young and old. This is where the MassiveMusic firepower of the worldwide network came into play. We submitted several options, but the shining star came from singer-songwriter, Nathan Cavaleri. We now had the motif that could be seeded into the other themes by our team of clever composers.
For example, Kit Kat Timbers features a sprawling Appalachian orchestral score, while Almond Joy/Mounds Cove features a surf rock styled score. Jolly Rancher Junction features a synth pop/EDM inspired score while Reese’s Ridge features a blend of hip hop and rock.
As animation was incomplete at the start of composition work, the composers were briefed to follow the pre-recorded script, which ensured that key moments of the journey were accounted for. There was always going to be an element of adjustment, but this worked pretty well for the most part.
As for sound design, the amount of detail required to bring the lands to life was immense. Many of the lands featured unique and imaginative designs of factory machinery and scenery, all inspired by the different candy featured in each land. Our multi-award winning sound design team, spearheaded by head of sound, Simon Kane, took great care in selecting and sculpting sounds that would evoke a heightened sense of realism and excitement while keeping sounds distinct to each of the lands.
In support of our internal talent of composers and sound designers, several voice actors and recording studios from around the world, a fifty-piece orchestra in Budapest, orchestrators, and mix engineers were all coordinated in a precise effort that spanned over three months of careful planning. It was a lot of effort but an excellent outcome and I’m really proud of the whole team.
TS: It has been a year since Song Zu merged with MassiveMusic. What have you gained – what did the merger enable/bring you?
AS: MassiveMusic, now a Songtradr company, gives us access to a vast pool of creative resources, including a global brains trust of some of the business’ most innovative and experienced creative thinkers. No matter the niche, someone has the experience, which gives us confidence that no job is too big or complex.
TS: Sounds – and music in particular – are an important part of our memories and associations. How can brands use music to stand out and be memorable? How can they use music activations to stay top of mind?
AS: Music has a profound impact on our emotions and can be a powerful tool for brands to create memorable experiences and strengthen their connections with consumers. Connecting this with a music driven activation like a theme park attraction, music experience, or other live events, brands can create memorable experiences that are directly tied to their brand and connect with a specific demographic.
TS: What other work do you think has been your most powerful in the last twelve months? Why? (Please include links).
AS: There is nothing better than to be part of a campaign that makes a real impact, and our work with The Monkeys to support the Island Nation of Tuvalu, and addressing their difficult future ahead due to climate change, is something we are very proud of:
